Foreign cigarettes worth Rs 1 crore seized, 4 drug smugglers arrested with heroin worth Rs 3.5 lakh
From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : Assam Rifles personnel have seized an illegal consignment of foreign cigarettes in Champhai district of Mizoram. The price of foreign cigarette consignment has been estimated at over Rs 1 crore. Assam Rifles said “the operation was carried out on the basis of specific information by a joint team of Assam Rifles and Customs Department Champahi. The statement said that the estimated cost of foreign origin cigarettes of size, market value – Rs. 1,06,60,000/- was handed over to Customs Preventive force Champhai.
In Mizoram, 82 boxes of foreign cigarettes were seized in the operation from Chungte area of Champai district. Two persons have also been arrested in connection with the seizure. “Drug trafficking is a major cause of concern for the State of Mizoram, especially along the Indo-Myanmar border,” assam rifles said. On the other hand, an official of mizoram’s excise and drugs department said that four drug smugglers with heroin worth Rs 3.5 lakh have been arrested during an operation in South Mizoram’s Siaha city on Tuesday. He said excise and drug department officials raided Bualpui (NG) Road in Siaha near Indo-Myanmar border and seized 124 grams of heroin from the possession of four drug smugglers. He said that they have been identified as Gospel Vanalliana (26) and Vanlalangheta (24), both from Bulfekjol village in Champhai district, and Runkianlova (41) of Champhai city and Thangalianamunga (48) of Bawangcon area of Aizawl. Authorities have also seized a Maruti Alto car used for drug transport. The four accused were booked under relevant sections of the The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
Officials of excise and drug department also raided rangavamual neighbourhood and surrounding areas on Tuesday and destroyed a large number of liquor factories and locally manufactured liquor, the official said. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Excise and Drugs Department said that at least 37 people, including 3 women, have died due to drug abuse between January and August 17 this year. The department also seized 9.93 kg of heroin, 25,609 litres of local liquor during the same period and arrested 1,877 people in drug related cases, the statement said.
